Here is Tomorrows OP Ed Guidance http://www.naeh.org/content/article/detail/1819
SAMPLE OP-ED – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION UNTIL NOVEMBER 8, 2007
Please feel free to use these exact words or edit as you see fit.
In [your city] today, [insert one paragraph personal story that illustrates a veteran’s day to day struggle with homelessness and getting off of the streets and into permanent housing.]
[Mr./Mrs.] [name] situation is not an isolated story. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has just released a report entitled Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans. The report shows that in [your state] alone, there are currently [number] veterans experiencing homelessness.
And the problem is widespread. Nationwide, a shocking 195,827 veterans slept on the street, in shelter, or in transitional housing on any given night in 2006 and 495,400 were homeless over the course of the year, a number which represents a disproportionately large representation of veterans (approximately one-fourth) who contribute to the total homeless population in general.
The solution to ending homelessness among veterans is not a social enigma. Homeless veterans need the same things as all homeless people - access to affordable housing and, for those who are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression – social supports. As a nation, we certainly do not lack the knowledge to end homelessness among veterans. The answers are mapped out in both research and common sense.
I know a true Homeless Viet Nam veteran,
he works with me,
he owns a 1965 Ford Mustang that he sleeps in every night,
he doesn’t beg, borrow, or steal.
Or want the help of any National Alliance to End Homelessness.
He is a free man and happy with his life.